Suspended On Silver Wings
by RosiePosieRW
Summary: What if Hermione's relationship with Draco wasn't as bad as everyone thought? How were they going to get through the war if they were fighting on opposite sides?


**A/N: ****Hello everybody! This is my first fanfiction. To all you Dramione lovers out there, this is for you. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

What if Hermione's relationship with Draco wasn't as bad as everyone thought? How were they going to get through the war if they were fighting on opposing sides?

* * *

Hermione sat quietly in her corner of the library. The silent whispers and flipping of pages barely reached her ears as her mind wandered to a certain Slytherin that had been plaguing her thoughts as of late. After she punched him in their third year, and then cornered him to talk in their fifth year, they had finally set aside their differences - for the most part - and over time had become friends. It was in these past few months that Hermione and Draco had truly become close. They would often try to find time to sneak away from their normal groups and meet in the library to talk and spend time with one another, and recently she was finally realizing her true feelings for him. The brunette could not help but to fall in love with him, for it was that forbidden love feeling that only made it burn so much stronger.

Although Hermione was now seeing the light of her emotions, Draco had taken this point to hide things from her and they were gradually drifting apart – why, she had no idea. Instead of their usual rendezvous, he was off doing something that whenever the smartest witch of their age asked, he would use charming words to distract her. Sadly, most of the time it worked. His excuses and sweet nothings always seemed to put her in a daze, sending her into a dreamland. Even so, the daydream would end and it could never fool her for long.

Unable to concentrate on her work, Hermione gathered up all her scrolls and books. After securing her bag over her shoulder she made her way down the aisles lined with books, grabbing certain volumes from her stack as she went, putting them all away. Without a word, she made her way out of the library, heading back towards Gryffindor tower.

* * *

Things were getting out of control around school, from Harry accusing Draco of being a Death Eater and then there were the couple instances in which someone was cursing other people. In other words, it was a madhouse. However, that wasn't what was at the top of Hermione's list at the moment. Right now, she was so fed up with how the Slytherin prince had been avoiding her and would only come to see her every couple of weeks. She decided that since he seemed too busy to even talk to her nowadays, she would ignore him completely. So, following through with her plan, she spent the next few weeks ignoring Draco. His attempts to talk and the few times in which he tried to get them to meet up was no use, for the smart witch wouldn't budge.

It was one day at the end of June. There were only two or three weeks before everyone would be heading home for the summer and Hermione was sitting in her usual table in the library, flipping through a potions textbook, hoping that it would help her with Slughorn's end-of-year paper. Her full attention was on the pages she was reading, and she was so concentrated that she didn't hear someone walk up to her table and take the seat across from her until his soft voice reached her ears. "Hermione."

She jumped, and her gaze fell on the tall, platinum-haired boy in front of her. She quickly buried her head between the parched pages of the book again, trying to ignore his presence – the operative word being _trying_. While she engrossed herself in the book, Draco took this time to study the Gryffindor across from him. After years of torturing her and then getting the sense knocked into him, he realized just how pretty she was. Everything about her screamed 'beautiful', from the way her curly chestnut hair fell over her shoulders in delicate strands as she leaned over the table to the way her brown eyes sparkled every time she learned something new. He couldn't stop himself; he had fallen in love with this Muggle-born witch. To be honest, he wasn't as upset about it as he knew he should be, for she was smart, attractive and had one of the kindest hearts he knew. Merlin, she was good to the core. It was because of these feelings that saying goodbye was going to be so hard.

"Hermione, I know you are listening to me even though you are trying not to. I came here to say that I'm sorry and – well – to say goodbye. After tonight I won't be in school anymore, and I wanted to let you know that I am sorry for all that I've done and am going to do. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I just wanted to say that being with you was the most fun I have had all my life." He hesitated, wondering if he had missed anything out. "Well, I guess I'll leave you now." He stood up slowly, trying not to let his turmoil of feelings overwhelm him, and made his way toward the doors of the library before he could do anything rash.

Hermione's gaze left the pages of the book and followed him as he left the library. She had wanted to say so much to him before he left, but the words had become stuck in her throat. Her thoughts replayed his speech over and over, her growing more anxious every time. Something bad was going to happen tonight, she just knew it. She couldn't help but think about how it wasn't far that they had to fight on opposing sides and be so far apart.

Quickly, she pushed herself out of her chair, shoving everything into her bag, leaving the books on the table instead of shelving them and raced out the door. She dashed down the hallway, hoping to catch Draco before he was gone forever. Swiftly turning the corner, she saw him standing in front of the blank wall opposite the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet – the entrance to the Room of Requirement.

"Draco!" she shouted desperately, and he turned towards her, a blond eyebrow raised inquiringly. "I'll write to you," she declared when she came to a halt in front of him, giving him a soft look while she caught her breath. Draco smiled sweetly at her, and one of his hands tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He nodded, and kissed her lightly on her forehead before turning back to the wall, on which a door had miraculously appeared.

Just before the door swung shut, Hermione thought she heard Draco whisper to her, "Goodbye, Hermione. But save your tears, because I will be back." And then he was gone. She lifted a hand to her cheek and pulled it back to find it wet. She hadn't even realized she had been crying, until now. Tears rolled freely down her face, and lump lodged itself in her throat. She wanted to yell at Draco, to tell him not to go and to stay, but she knew that none of that would help and nothing she said mattered anymore. He would have to leave, if he hadn't already. She accepted the truth like a hard blow, but accepted it nonetheless. There was nothing she could do.

It was now that it came to her what she had to do and what her heart had been trying to say to her all this time – but she'd have to wait until this was over to tell him. With one last look at the wall that separated them, she left to go back to the Gryffindor common room, but his last words continued to ring in her ears, _save your tears, because I will be back_. She truly hoped he meant what he said.

* * *

It had been five months since she had last seen the blond Slytherin prince, but they had been, as promised, corresponding by sending letters back and forth between one another. Each letter was about anything and everything, whether it was about books they had been reading or improvements on their situations. Not a single soul knew about their letters; as soon as they had been read they would be burned in case they were ever found. Neither Hermione nor Draco ever gave away the information they knew to their comrades, not even Harry or Ron. In the last letter Hermione had written to Draco, she had talked about how they just moved on with their travels and about Ron's recent behavior and verbal attacks.

Hermione was sitting outside their tent in the Forest of Dean, leaning against one of the trees that surrounded them, wrapped in a blanket. It was her turn to be on guard duty. Harry had wandered a bit, but not enough that she couldn't see him. Ron, she knew, was huddled in the tent, listening desperately to _Potterwatch_ on the radio, hoping not to hear a family member's name. Once Harry walked behind one of the trees out of her line of sight, a white and grey owl came swooping down with a letter attached to his leg. Hermione immediately recognized the bird as the owl that she and the Malfoy heir had been using as a means of sending messages. Stroking his feathers with one hand, her other hand went to retrieve the letter from his foot. When the owl felt the weight from his leg disappear, he soared into the air and went off to hide in a tree until Hermione had finished writing her response to Draco. She looked around to make sure no one was watching, and opened the letter in which the Slytherin's neat handwriting awaited her.

_Dear H.,_

_I miss you terribly. I miss those days when we could just hide away from the world within the aisles of books and no one would be able to find us. It is getting worse here as the days go by, especially since my family is not in His favor. Mother is continually fretting about everything, seeing as how everyone's now living in our manor peace is no longer possible. I'm sorry this letter is on the late side; with all the Death Eaters in the house I can't really find a safe time to write or even send it without being concerned that someone will catch me or intercept the letters. Other than that, there hasn't been much going one. More Death Eaters are joining us every day, so please be careful._

_Even though I can't see you, I know these letters are reaching you, and I can't wait for the day that we will finally be able to see one another again._

_Yours truly,_

_D._

Hermione had read through the letter at least a dozen times before she burned it with a quick "_Incendio!_" and tossed away the ashes. From under the blanket she pulled out the book that Dumbledore had left her and opened up to the middle pages. Inside the book was a bit of parchment and a quill, along with a small vial of ink. With that, she quickly started writing Draco a reply to his letter. Every so often, she would look over the top of the page to keep an eye on where Harry was. He was back where she could see him, but far enough away that he would think she was just reading.

When she finished her letter, she looked up into the tree where she knew their owl was sitting in, and motioned to him with the new letter. The owl flew down from his perch and held out its leg, to which Hermione quickly tied the letter, and then she set the bird free. She watched as he sped off into the sky, the moon reflecting off its feathers, casting a soft, silvery glow. As the silver wings got further away, she slowly started to relax. Her thoughts, once again, were consumed by a certain blond-haired Slytherin and his last letter.

Soon, that was the only thought running through her head; soon the war would be over, hopefully for the better. After sitting for another few minutes she got up to go talk to Harry about their plans for the next day.

* * *

It was now hitting the beginning of April. A week ago, Hermione had found herself in Malfoy Manor with Harry and Ron. The trio had been captured and she had been tortured almost to death by Bellatrix Lestrange. The deep gashes on her arm were healing little by little, but the harsh word Bellatrix had cruelly carved into her skin could still be seen quite clearly seven days later. After staying at Shell Cottage with Bill and Fleur for company, she decided to go sit on a bench outside the house to brood over the most recent letter she had written to Draco. She had told him that he shouldn't blame himself about her capture, and had asked him how he was holding up. She was getting anxious; she had sent the letter three days ago, and she had yet to receive a letter back from him. She could not help but worry about him, as he was in the lion's den and they had just lost their most precious prey.

The sun was slowly starting to set, tinting the clouds overhead a warm orange. Waves rocked against the beach, and Hermione was completely relaxed, despite the flurry of thoughts running rapidly inside her head. Once the sun had finally dipped below the horizon and the moon hung in the sky as if suspended from a chain, something in the distance caught her eye. Silver wings could be seen making their way over the sand and water towards her, and as they grew closer, the silhouette of her and Draco's owl came into clear view. Hermione's heart leapt when she saw the letter attached to his leg. He landed smoothly before her, and she shuffled closer before extracting the letter and petting the owl's head, cooing gratefully to him.

She opened the letter cautiously, her nerves getting the best of her. Something nagged at her in the back of her mind, thinking of the worst that could happen, and her hands shook as she broke the seal. Once Draco's familiar, elegant handwriting came into view, she closed her eyes and murmured a quick prayer that he would be all right before she read every word. Throughout the letter he was apologizing, about every two sentences or so, but it wasn't until he stated that he was okay and only had minor injuries from Voldemort's wrath that she let out the breath she hadn't even known she had been holding in relief. After a few more apologies, he talked about how seeing her, even for something so horrible, and then receiving her letter saying that she was alright, made all his weary days seem far away. The last sentence of the letter was what caught Hermione's attention the most; it was consistently kept in her thoughts while she laid back on the bench and stared up at the stars.

_I have something important to tell you once this whole mess is over, so please wait for me._

After spending another few minutes processing it, she sat up and burned the letter before grabbing a fresh piece of parchment and a quill, ready to write her response. A few minutes went past, and with the help of the bright moonlight, she finished her letter, but before she called the owl, the smartest witch of her age re-read through her letter.

_Dear D.,_

_I am overjoyed that you are alive and well; you gave me quite a scare, I feared the worst. And really, there is no need to apologize that much, for it was not your fault that we got into that mess. My wound is almost completely healed, so that does not need to be of your concern. Please stay safe. I am always worried about you while you are in His presence._

_On a lighter note, everyone is doing fine, and we plan on heading out in a bit to find out what our next step is. I hope this war will be over soon so that we may be reunited, but I know that as much as I wish it will be quick, it will take a lot more time. I cannot find myself saying goodbye out of fear, so I will say goodnight._

_Yours truly,_

_H._

_P.S. I will wait for you till the end._

Hermione gave one last quick glance over the letter before calling the owl over. His grey and white feathers ruffled a bit under the breeze rolling across the beach as he placed his leg out, ready for the trip back to Draco. With a soft smile and a gentle pat on the head, Hermione let the bird go. In seconds he was high up, flying amongst the stars, the moon basking his wings in its silvery light. Once he was completely out of view, Hermione decided to stay outside for a few minutes longer but she found herself getting up and making her way back towards Shell Cottage. Before she went inside the house, she turned and gave one last look at the moon, wondering if Draco was also looking at the moon.

* * *

Lord Voldemort was finally gone. That was the sentence that kept running through everybody's heads. Once Harry had defeated him, the Death Eaters fell apart, most of them running for their lives while the rest continued to fight, but soon perished. At long last they were all free from war, their thoughts were no longer contaminated by the fear of being murdered in their beds. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood on the broken bridge in front of Hogwarts castle, enjoying the cool, refreshing breeze that was dancing around them, each of them bearing their fair share of cuts and bruises.

In the distance, towards the edge of the forest, a person moved along the far end of the bridge. The boys watched as their best friend gasped in delight and began running as fast as she could in the direction of the figure. Hermione flung herself into the arms of the tall, blond boy, wrapping him in a vise-like grip, unwilling to let go of him anytime soon. Draco swung her around a few times before letting her feet touch the ground once more, giving into his urge, his lips sweeping hers into a passionate kiss. Sparks of desire ignited in them, and they pulled each other into a deeper embrace. Draco broke away and held Hermione at an arm's length from him, his piercing grey-blue eyes scanning her body for any initial injury. Once he was satisfied that her wounds were minor and that most of them had already healed, his arms enveloped her in a tight hug.

Harry and Ron both snickered before making their way back into the castle to help fix up the havoc that had been wreaked. Both of them had known for a long time that Hermione and Draco had held feelings for each other, but with the differences that the boys all shared it was hard to get around it. Now that the war was over, they could finally agree to the love that the oddly perfect couple shared. So as Harry and Ron went back into the castle, they each wished their best friend and newfound friend good luck.

* * *

Draco and Hermione found themselves walking around the destroyed grounds of Hogwarts, their fingers entwined, and even though it was completely in ruins they seemed to enjoy their reunion. Every so often the brunette would playfully bump into the blond, giving him a shy smile each time, and then he would squeeze her hand as a smirk lit up his face. The two finally made it down to the edge of the lake, sitting under one of the few trees that had survived the war, shoulder to shoulder. The witch watched as their hands began poking at each other but never once letting go of the other's hand. She rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes drifting shut.

"Hermione." She could feel the vibration of his voice on her cheek as he spoke her name. She opened her dark eyes and looked up into his lighter ones, indicating he should continue. "I wanted to tell you that the only reason I was able to go through this all was because of the letters you've written to me this past year. I don't think I could have survived this ordeal without you."

Hermione's eyes grew large before they glazed over with unshed tears, a smile gracing her face as she held his hand tighter. "I know what you mean. Every day I would fear for everyone, but each time I read your letters it gave me hope. Hope that we would come out of this one day. Maybe not all of us, but some of us would live to see the day the war ended. Your letters were what got me through all of it. You are what kept me from giving up, those letters and the thought of seeing you again after this."

Draco swiftly drew her into an embrace, a tear streaming down his cheek in sheer joy that they both had survived and that he could finally be with his loved one. "Hermione, remember in the letter I sent you after you escaped from the manor I told you I had something important to tell you? Well, since the Dark Lord is gone, I can tell you." He looked straight into her eyes. "I love you," he all but whispered, afraid of the rejection he could possibly receive.

A flaming blush crept up Hermione's cheeks, but a grin soon found its way onto her face, and within seconds they had each other in a liplock. Draco's eyes were wide before he closed them again and succumbed into his desire, one hand snaking around her waist while the other tugged at her hair, deepening the kiss. Hermione pulled away, much to his disappointment, earning her a low growl to which she simply laughed off, and pecked him on his forehead, efficiently shutting him up. "I love you too," she told him.

And with that, the couple once again followed their passion-spouting hearts as they lay tangled in each other, sharing each other's warmth. This was the beginning of a new life, one in which they could share with each other and be free from everything else. It was all thanks to those letters, and the fact that they kept on going no matter what just to get them to where they were now.

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**A/N: Did you like that? There is a song called _1000 Words _that has a very strong connection with this story, so if you would like to take a look at that, it's on YouTube. I wrote this fanfiction while listening to it, and it's a really beautiful song. I have some thanks to give to two very special people who have played important roles in the making of this fanfiction. I would like to express my gratitude towards my beta, LindyL. Yes, we beta each other's works. The second person I would like to acknowledge is Whisper-of-Warning. She has stuck by my side the whole way through, and I'm very grateful for that. Thank you to both of you for your continuous support, and to everyone else for taking the time to read this fanfiction. Please review!**


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